Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and St Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $37,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in St Thomas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in St Thomas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,408 in St Thomas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
St Thomas $4,408

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $7,220 in St Thomas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
St Thomas $7,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $10.0K in St Thomas.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
St Thomas $10.0K

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 71% less than in St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, St Thomas is 227% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$22.30 $22.30

-54.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$170 $170

-76.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$13.55 $13.55

-36.90%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.90 $5.90

-59.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R$8.18

$3.95 $3.95

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$3.39 $3.39

-69.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.12 $5.12

-51.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$6.81 $6.81

-45.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.88 $2.88

-58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$6.67 $6.67

-69.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$18.54 $18.54

-93.10%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$8.87 $8.87

-74.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.12 $11.12

-3.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$28.44 $28.44

-84.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$39.72 $39.72

-75.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$11.91 $11.91

-76.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$10.89 $10.89

-83.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$12.30 $12.30

-86.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$19.99 $19.99

-91.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.95 $1.95

-37.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$8.76 $8.76

-88.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$8.18 $8.18

-90.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$5.39 $5.39

-87.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$24.57 $24.57

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$6.18 $6.18

-59.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.98 $1.98

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$60.7 $60.7

-17.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$19.61 $19.61

-93.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.08 $3.08

-70.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.39 $1.39

-6.47%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.9K R$121.0K

$55.2K $55.2K

-56.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.9K R$166.6K

$49.0K $49.0K

-32.91%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 R$676

$451 $451

-70.40%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.82 R$54.8

$100 $100

-89.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$151 $151

-84.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$164 $164

-81.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.04 $10.04

-19.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$598 R$3,029

$1,487 $1,487

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$21.9K $21.9K

-38.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$113 $113

-62.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$148 $148

-66.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$202 $202

-63.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$151 $151

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,586 $1,586

-43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,827 $1,827

-71.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$3,187 $3,187

-58.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$4,229 $4,229

-82.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,896 $4,896

-18.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$10.9K $10.9K

-85.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,726 $2,726

-76.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.45

26.24%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5% 245% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7% 346% $742

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

St Thomas

$702 15.9% 320% $535

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

St Thomas

$358 8.1% 117% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

St Thomas

$276 6.3% 162% $171

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 73% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

St Thomas

$184 4.2% 293% $137

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,586 in St Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St Thomas pays 326% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $170 in St Thomas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $956 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

20,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro St Thomas 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
St Thomas

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rio de Janeiro vs St Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and St Thomas differ by about 242% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $4,408 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 326% lower in St Thomas. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,586 in St Thomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $170 in St Thomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,408 in St Thomas – a 242% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,408 in St Thomas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in St Thomas. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 242% less than in St Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.